


in the reality of the dream

by sugarby



Category: Code Geass
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 22:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10796412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarby/pseuds/sugarby
Summary: "Well if you're going to die, let it be with no regrets." These aren't the words from a woman with an ambition to give a young man's indefinite meltdown meaning. These are the words of C.C. who sounds all too serious for someone so casual in the art of sardonic humor. With what she was told, she was expected to turn her nose up, to be disinterested. Instead, she's on board with the ludicrousness—she's attempting to make it actually happen.





	in the reality of the dream

"Well if you're going to die, let it be with no regrets." These aren't the words from a woman with an ambition to give a young man's indefinite meltdown meaning. These are the words of C.C. who sounds all too serious for someone so casual in the art of sardonic humor. With what she was told, she was expected to turn her nose up, to be disinterested. Instead, she's on board with the ludicrousness—she's attempting to make it actually happen.

And it is very ludicrous in theory— _will be more so_ if exercised. "And here I was counting on your disapproval." It's the wrong time, too, while Lelouch is diligently working hard, his laptop open and illuminating the stoicism on his face permanently marked by past hardships. (It could also be the result of perpetuating irritation from patience lost with the woman addressed by two, alliterated initials).

"Oh please," C.C. pulls closer to her body the Pizza Hut mascot, Cheese-kun, and continues to lounge on Lelouch's bed without a care. "When did you start seeking approval from anyone?"

" _True_."

"So now what will you do?

"Nothing." Lelouch leans in, his critical eyes looking for errors in what he's typed so far. Seven paragraphs could've easily been doubled without the _distraction_ , but telling C.C. to be quiet surely won't suffice this time. "It was just a dream, an insignificant,  _false_ perception of reality some estranged part of my subconscious conjured up to entertain itself."

"But it was _your_ dream."

"So what? Dreams are separate from reality."

"Some people believe their dreams are pieces of a parallel life, some believe it's their honest  _desires_."

"And so, based on that, it's my honest desire to be intimate with my childhood friend?" Lelouch thinks it's madness, what this woman is capable of putting out there before in his head. She's a few years older than her appearance leads people to think but she has the creativity and mind of a devious child. "I don't appreciate being used as a tool for you to kill time, C.C."

"Says the man who sees people as Chess pieces."

"It's _metaphorical_."

" _Just_?"

Lelouch grunts, becoming furious with her persistence. It's near impossible to focus completely on his assignment like this and doesn't like to be defeated. "Here's an idea, take a break from harassing me."

"You brought the dream up all by yourself."

"That's funny, I clearly recall you threatening to gallivant around the campus if I refused to disclose it."

"Exactly." C.C. says, unsympathetically. "You could've kept your mouth shut and left me to it."

"Don't be foolish." Lelouch warns her with a parental-like glare. Her being at the school, never-mind her existence altogether, will indefinitely bring up a lot of questions he can't answer without landing in trouble. Coming up with plausible excuses for the mountainous boxes of pizza piling up in his room is hard enough.

"It's a little joke. _Lighten up_ , spoil sport."

"Shut up, _voyeuristic witch_."

C.C. laughs, "Is that meant to offend me? I've been called far worse."

Lelouch doesn't doubt that at all but a generously-long survival through different time periods, each possessing their own degrading terms, has provided C.C. with thickened skin. She'll brush almost any insult right off her shoulder like she's apathetic. "Still, I'd hate for my friends or my enemies to know that about me."

"They aren't really that different to you, are they? Your friends can become your enemies, and your enemies can act as your allies if you believe it's necessary. Just like Suzaku."

"His role in my plans and even yours are unlike the roles given to everyone else."

"I know. He's special to you..." C.C. knows the young man, Suzaku Kururugi, isn't like the Black Knights under the command of Lelouch's alter ego, Zero. However Lelouch chooses to try and disguise their relationship, it's much deeper than any connection he has with the Black Knights, and even with his school friends. The truth is right there, hanging in imperfect balance when they're together. C.C., who has watched Lelouch since he was young, knows he keeps everyone further than arm's length away. Lelouch doesn't trust anyone easily, including his family, yet Suzaku is someone he trusts completely.

And so, the humanity left within C.C. thinks, ' _To trust someone so much even when they're on the other team,_ _it must be love'_. and outright says what she thinks will truly put sense in to it all, "Kiss him."

"W-What?!"

"Don't be a prude, you heard what I said."

"C.C., I don't want to invest in your ridiculous games—"

"It's not a game. You go on about him an awful lot and you've known each other since you were children."

"That's _not_ a _reason_ , that's a _convenient factor_ for you to use against me."

"Here's another: _you_ dreamed of kissing Suzaku in the first place. Trying to forget because you're so embarrassed about it? _Please_ , you have bigger problems than a sexual-identity crisis." like the raging war with the Emperor for instance, but her ease with implying Lelouch as sexually ambiguous has him choking on a gobsmacked gasp. It has yet to be proven true, but C.C. likes to think so from clues. "Besides, isn't the forbidden romance between same gender couples what spurs today's youths on? The arguments you and Suzaku have must just be uresolved tension."

Oh, wow. Whoa. Lelouch has so much to say to all that but where to begin? How much can he fit in the space of ten minutes before it becomes a whole speech? "Now listen here," he starts with in a deep tone of annoyance, "It's wrong and inappropriate to freely accuse people of being one thing from the other. I know full well what we're contracted to achieve together and I plan to do just that, but don't poison the one, good relationship I have with someone besides my little sister. Yes we fight and yes we argue...we're on _opposite sides_ , for heaven's sake! But ultimately, all we want is a safer, kinder and fair world for Nunnally to live in."

C.C. is as indifferent as ever, knowing Lelouch's charms of trying to gain the sympathy vote. "Bringing Nunnally in to save your skin again is pathetic. Ironically, I bet she'd approve of you and Suzaku." she smiles, "Of ' _Suzalulu_ '."

"There is no—!" Lelouch pauses to breath, trying to calm, seconds from exploding. "C.C., I swear...drop this now or I'll—"

"You'll what, kill me? I'm immortal, remember?"

"You don't let me forget."

"The sooner you kiss him, the sooner you quit being a grouch."

" _I'm_ _not_ a—!"

The door to his bedroom, where his secrecy and thorough plans to overthrow the empire lie, wherein which he is near to screaming at an immortal witch, is knocked upon in a familiar manor. And then, to the bedroom owner's, to the unwanted roommate's amusement, "Hey, Lelouch? You in there? Hello?"

It's like, in Lelouch's dramatic head-space, things are _avalanching_.

Suzaku jiggles the door handle, finds it's locked. Locked doors are suspicious, even if Lelouch is a young male with puberty left to go through and curiosities in life. He may not have his hand down his uniform pants but--"C.C., get in to the closet now. That's an order."

" _That_ doesn't work on me," C.C. says, sounding very bored as she picks herself up from the bed anyway. "But if you go down, I go down too."

"Oh, how _considerate_ of you, _thank you very much_."

"You're welcome.

Lelouch feels slightly better when he pushes her inside and slams the doors to his closet on her face.

"Lelouch," Suzaku calls. "Is it gonna be another seven years before I see you again or are you going to open the door?"

Lelouch sighs, "Yeah, I'm coming." but not without quick preparation, and that is to count to five slowly as he heads for the door, as he reluctantly opens it to his best friend. Suzaku's face paints reality in color from the dull, vengeful one he co-exists in with C.C. "Hey, Suzaku."

"Hey, _finally_."

"I wasn't expecting you." Lelouch admits, "...Your timing is impeccable."

"Huh?"

" _So_ , did you need something?"

"I was looking for you in the club-room earlier. No one else is there."

"They're out for lunch."

"And they didn't invite you?"

"On the contrary. But I have work to catch up on."

"I see. Serves you right for skipping classes."

"With what I know, I bet I can teach the classes myself."

"About hating Britannia?"

Lelouch smiles, not totally joking though, "Valuable curriculum, yes." he says and makes Suzaku laugh. "Seriously, what I can do for you?"

"I have some pretty big news...it's, uh..." Suzaku can't pitch a speech impulsively the way his best friend can, so he can't think of any other way to say his news than just to outright say it. ""...Euphy has asked me to become her Knight."

"That's..." _'Thoughtless, putting a Japanese who was once accused as a murderer in such an opportunistic spotlight that the country will see 'rightfully belongs' to anyone else. Not to mention it limits any scarce chance I have to finally bring Suzaku round to Zero's side.'_ Lelouch forces a smile to looks as sincere as he can, "That's _great_ , Suzaku. Congratulations. You must be really thrilled."

"Thanks."

"Shouldn't you be over the moon right now? Why do you look displeased?"

"Sorry. I don't wanna seem ungrateful, it's just I don't think I should take the offer."

"Why not?"

"Euphy can pick anyone. Someone without school to go to, without a cat to look after. Someone who's not j—"

"Japanese, right?"

"Someone who's not _just_ getting used to piloting a Knightmare."

Lelouch has the decency to look appalled at himself. "Experience shouldn't be a problem. You're an incredibly skilled pilot, Suzaku. Everything else you said is just an excuse."

" _I know_. I know you hate it when I give myself a hard time but when I remember some things I've done or should have but didn't—!"

Lelouch puts a hand on his best friend's shoulder and the supportive touch makes Suzaku calm, silent. "Suzaku, you're worthy of the position as Knight. My sister taking a liking to you isn't for appearances' sake, she trusts and believes in you, as do I. You're a good pilot. You make a difference on the battlefield. You're willing to fight for this country despite it's racism against you, and you'll sacrifice yourself to protect innocent people, just like when you were first deployed and caught a civilian who was falling to their death."

"Yeah. Well I couldn't let her just—" Suzaku stops, blinks, "Wait, how'd you hear about that?"

"Oh, uh..." Lelouch recalls it well enough for someone who was there but in disguise. "The news channels covered it, naturally."

"Duh, right." Suzaku laughs at himself, wondering how he missed the obvious while the Britannian just breathes. "Well, anyway, I guess I needed a friend to tell me I deserved it. To stand beside Euphy."

"Suzaku, _you deserve it_."

"Thanks. If there's anything that you want to talk about with me—"

" _No_."

Suzaku stares, surprised by the quick rejection. "Okay. Sorry, am I being pushy?"

"No, it's not you. I didn't mean to snap." Lelouch looks over to the wardrobe and sees C.C.'s gold eyes looking straight back. "I had a strange dream last night. It was very...out of character, I'd say. I doubt it means anything because dreams and reality are separate...but I have this acquaintance who insists it's something more. That it means something and is worth looking in to."

"What was the dream?"

"I'd prefer not to say."

"Lelouch, it's _me_. I won't give you a hard time."

"Alright. You were there...and we kissed."

"Each other?! Where?!"

"Lips but are the _microscopic_ details really necessary?!" Lelouch huffs. He doesn't feel much less irritated about the matter than when he was dealing with the impossible C.C. Why should he drag Suzaku down in to this ludicrous mess anyway? "Never-mind, this was a mistake."

"Hold on! I can't tell you what your dreams means since most of the time you like to keep secrets from me. But I don't think it's anything to be worried about. It's like you said, dreams and reality aren't the same. I've dreamed about being a frog before but that doesn't mean that's what I wanna be, right?"

"I suppose so. But then why else would I dream of us being so intimate of all things?"

"It's probably because we're really close,. Look, I'll help prove it's pretty much a harmless dream—"

"Suzaku, thank you but you don't have to—" _'Kiss me'_ is what Lelouch was planning to say. That going ahead with C.C.'s scandalous plan wouldn't do anything for him now after hearing Suzaku's more trustworthy diagnosis. But he goes ahead and kisses him anyway. Suzaku kisses Lelouch like it's nothing, like it's always been so easy to do. And sure, there are no fireworks or heartstrings being plucked. They're in Lelouch's neat, little room on school grounds after all.

But there's warmth and familiarity, and it almost doesn't feel _ludicrous_ at all.

When Suzaku pulls back first and feels he's stared at Lelouch and said absolutely nothing for long enough, he comes to ask, "Feel any different?"

"No. You?"

"To be honest, kissing your best friend seems like one of those things everyone in our generation gets up to when they're drunk at a party. So, at least for me, it doesn't feel that weird."

"I see...

"Then again, I've always felt this way about you."

"What way?"

A smothered cough jumps in as Suzaku opens his mouth to answer.

Lelouch turns Suzaku around and starts pushing him to the door, "Well thanks for this, Suzaku, but I should get back to my work! My assignment won't write itself!"

Suzaku looks back, "Didn't you hear that? It sounds like the wardrobe just coughed. Or spoke."

Lelouch forcibly laughs, "What? You're hearing things. Anyway, see you later!"

"But Lelouch—" Suzaku starts but the door closes on whatever he was about to add.

Similiar to when C.C. disappeared behind his wardrobe, breathing is now much easier for Lelouch. He can relax, even if only slightly. In, out, he sets a steady rhythm with his back against the coolness of the door.

C.C. walks out of the wardrobe. "I could've suffocated in there."

Lelouch rolls his eyes, " _If only_. You're immortal."

"I'm still susceptible to falling unconscious, you fool."

"Be _quiet_ , C.C." Lelouch tells her and ventures back to his desk, where he sits down, pulls up the lid of his laptop and resumes his assignment as if nothing's changed. 

C.C. resumes her position on his bed, laying across with the mascot under her. "How was it? Is he a good kisser? Did you use tongue?"

"It was a peck on the lips and it lasted about a second."

"And are you satisfied now?"

"Is that why you were so insistent I reenactment of a dream? You were concerned for my well-being?"

C.C. doesn't specifically say yes but implies it in her own way, "I want you in your best condition with your mind focused on what you need to do, so that when it comes to granting my wish-"

"Oh, yes. What was it again?"

C.C.'s constellation prize for trying to out-wit her is a small smile, "Nice try, Lelouch. You'll know when you need to know."

Lelouch smirks, "Say I want to mark it on my calendar?"

"Too bad." C.C. smirks back.


End file.
